So Mills (p. 250):
Basilides of Alexandria is the earliest, easily datable author who knew and used Luke. 50 Jerome’s Latin translation of Eusebius’ Chronicon reports that Basilides lingered (commoratur) in Alexandria until 132 CE.51 Since the heresiologists agree that he was a predecessor of Valentinus (e.g. Irenaeus AH 24.1; Epiphanius 1.31.21), Basilides’ tenure must have begun some decades earlier.52 Basilides is, in any case, Marcion’s predecessor. It is significant evidence for the present inquiry, therefore, that Basilides’ corpus reflects knowledge of Luke in its non-Marcionite form.
Note 52 reads:
2 This information does not fit well with Clement’s claim that Marcion was an old man during the lifetime of Basilides and Valentinus (Clement Stromata 7.17). Clement then dates Simon and Peter latest of all. Clearly, Clement is confused.
I read Irenaeus 24:1 and I find:
1. Arising among these men, Saturninus (who was of that Antioch which is near Daphne) and Basilides laid hold of some favourable opportunities, and promulgated different systems of doctrine — the one in Syria, the other at Alexandria. Saturninus, like Menander, set forth one father unknown to all, who made angels, archangels, powers, and potentates. The world, again, and all things therein, were made by a certain company of seven angels. Man, too, was the workmanship of angels, a shining image bursting forth below from the presence of the supreme power; and when they could not, he says, keep hold of this, because it immediately darted upwards again, they exhorted each other, saying, Let us make man after our image and likeness. Genesis 1:26 He was accordingly formed, yet was unable to stand erect, through the inability of the angels to convey to him that power, but wriggled [on the ground] like a worm. Then the power above taking pity upon him, since he was made after his likeness, sent forth a spark of life, which gave man an erect posture, compacted his joints, and made him live. He declares, therefore, that this spark of life, after the death of a man, returns to those things which are of the same nature with itself, and the rest of the body is decomposed into its original elements.
https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103124.htm
Where is the evidence that Basilides precedes Marcion there? It is evident that Irenaeus is describing two streams of heretical tradition:
- Saturninus and Menander, in the docetist field (Jesus descended from above already adult, and remember that the complete line is: Simon Magus ---> Saturninus ---> Menander ---> Cerdon ---> Marcion).
- Basilides in the separationist field.
In my view, Mills should corroborate more the his point that Basilides preceded temporally Marcion, rather than insist again and again the too much obvious fact that Basilides used canonical Luke.